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5.0 from 30 votes

Russian Tea Cakes or Snowball Cookies

Russian Tea Cakes or Snowball Cookies are rich, buttery, shortbread hazelnut cookies rolled in icing sugar that simply melt in your mouth!

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Refrigeration
1 hr
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 36
Calories: 97 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 cup  salted butter
  • 1/4 cup icing sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup nuts (hazelnuts or walnuts) toasted is best
  • 2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup icing sugar for dusting the baked product

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 °F.
  2. Cream together the icing sugar, butter and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
  3. Add the nuts to the butter mixture and combine thoroughly. 
  4. Add in the flour and mix until combined. 
  5. Shape the dough into a ball and refrigerate at least an hour. The secret to snowballs is to use extremely hard dough, cold from the fridge.
  6. Shape them into 1 inch balls, place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 9-10 minutes, then check the bottoms to see if they are browned. You are, in essence, like shortbread, drying these out rather than cooking. There is nothing to cook, they are butter, sugar, vanilla and nuts. You do not want to overbake these. 
  7. When they come out, let them rest a minute, then roll in your first layer of icing sugar. When they are cooler and have that first layer on, roll again.  Place on a baking rack to cool completely, then transfer to a sealed container.

Notes

  • These cookies freeze wonderfully and are perfect for making ahead of time for the holidays! Simply place them in a freezer safe container and freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information

Calories 97kcal (5%) Carbohydrates 9g (3%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 6g (9%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Cholesterol 13mg (4%) Sodium 45mg (2%) Potassium 24mg (1%) Sugar 3g (6%) Vitamin A 160IU (3%) Vitamin C 0.2mg (0%) Calcium 5mg (1%) Iron 0.4mg (2%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 36Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 97

% Daily Value*

Calories 97kcal 5%
Carbohydrates 9g 3%
Protein 1g 2%
Fat 6g 9%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 13mg 4%
Sodium 45mg 2%
Potassium 24mg 1%
Sugar 3g 6%
Vitamin A 160IU 3%
Vitamin C 0.2mg 0%
Calcium 5mg 1%
Iron 0.4mg 2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.